Salman Khan, the Bhaijaan of Bollywood, recently grabbed headlines not for his films but for a remark at the Joy Forum 2025 event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that didn’t only went viral but also started discussion on social media.
At the event, the actor mentioned “Balochistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan" in such a way that netizens claimed it appeared separate regions from Pakistan.
I don’t know if it was slip of tongue, but this is amazing! Salman Khan separates “people of Balochistan” from “people of Pakistan” .
— Smita Prakash (@smitaprakash) October 19, 2025
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“Right now, if you make a Hindi film and release it here (in Saudi Arabia), it will be a superhit. If you make a Tamil, Telugu, or Malayali film, it will do hundreds of crores in business because so many people from other countries have come here. There are people from Balochistan, there are people from Afghanistan, there are people from Pakistan… everyone is working here," said Salman.
Reacting to Salman’s remark, one user commented, “When @BeingSalmanKhan said ‘Balochistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan…’ — it speaks volumes. Balochistan is not a Pakistani province — it’s a nation. Baloch is our identity & our state."
“Salman Khan Acknowledges Balochistan is not a part of Pakistan🤣 He said ‘Everyone is working in Saudi Arabia… There are people from Balochistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan,’" wrote another netizen.
“Salman Khan just casually dropped a geopolitical bomb! By separating Balochistan from Pakistan in his statement, he’s highlighting a fact many overlook — Balochistan’s distinct identity and struggles," shared another social media user.
“Big moment at the event. Salman Khan mentioned the people of Balochistan separately from Pakistan. Slip of the tongue or spark of truth, who knows?" questioned another user.
On the professional front, Salman Khan is currently busy with the shooting of Battle of Galwan. It is directed by Apoorva Lakhia of Shootout At Lokhandwala and Haseena Parkar among others.